Staff Open Up: Why the TMSP is Important

Hello there! We’ve had quite a response to our new crowdfunding campaign! I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our supporters and want to thank each and every one of you.

I also want to get serious for a moment. A number of people have asked me, “why should I contribute to the Sifting Project? Aren’t there more important charities? Can’t I just share your videos and posts? Then other people will surely give!”

Look. There are a number of worthy causes out there. Even within archaeology, there is important research that needs to be funded all over the world. I talk a lot about the gifts on our website, but here is the truth. The Sifting Project has a special place in my heart because it has arisen against adversity for the sole purpose of trying to share the unknown, unexcavated history of the Temple Mount, one of the holiest places on earth to more than half the world’s population, with those exact people. So, in short, here is my answer.

You should support our project because through us, you can ensure that facts, reality, and the heritage of all people who connect with the Temple Mount; Jews, Christians, and Muslims, is protected and shared. Ignorance feeds conflict and dispute, while knowledge helps us better understand our common past. I truly believe that having a better, more scientific understanding of the Temple Mount can only aid us in our path toward understanding and eventually peace.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project’s finds represent the first-ever archaeological data originating from within the Temple Mount because no proper excavation has ever been done there due to religious and political concerns. These concerns are valid. This is why the Sifting Project offers an amazing opportunity to archaeologically understand the history beneath the surface of the Temple Mount.

Our research has the ability to challenge theories, clarify understandings, and present the factual data about the history of the Temple Mount. We can undermine the Temple Denial movement; but only if our facts and research are shared with the scientific community and the public.

Our mission is to publish at least 3 volumes of our research on the Temple Mount’s history, special finds, coins, and pottery in 2018. We want our scientific research to encourage educated discussion on the history of the Temple Mount.

As a member of the global community, it is your responsibility to preserve this heritage. This is your chance to take part in revealing Jerusalem’s ancient past. You can ensure that facts, reality, and the heritage of all people who feel connected to the Temple Mount is protected and shared. This is why you should support the Sifting Project, but also why you should give toward our research.

For more information, see our crowdfunding website at half-shekel.org.

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Annual Appeal

Check out our new video!

Dear friends,

Artifacts from the Temple Mount

The story of the Temple Mount is the story of Jerusalem itself. A holy site to the three largest monotheistic religions, it is one of the most concentrated archaeological sites in the world. As you know, our finds here at The Temple Mount Sifting Project constitute the first-ever archaeological data originating from below the Temple Mount’s surface. Yet without being able to publish our research, it will be as if our 500,000 artifacts had never been found. Our research has the ability to challenge theories, clarify understandings, and present the factual data about the Temple Mount. We can undermine the Temple Denial Movement: but only if our facts and research are shared with the scientific community and the public.

Our mission is to publish at least 3 volumes of our research on the Temple Mount history, special finds, coins, and pottery in 2018. We want our scientific research to encourage educated discussion on the history of the Temple Mount.

The Lab Staff  Says, “Join Us and Donate Today!”

As 2017 approaches, we are faced with the reality of needing financial support to continue our research in the lab. With your help, our Annual Appeal will allow us to enter 2017 knowing that our focus can remain on our research and not on ways to raise money or cut the budget to keep the lights on. Our first goal is to fund the core research needed to fill the pages of our upcoming publication on the project, coins, and pottery. Once we’ve accomplished this task, our goal is to secure the minimum budget needed to keep our lab doors open.

This is the lab that gave you the reconstructed patterns of King Herod’s Temple Mount Courts, articles on figurines, Temple Denial, and other important research. Join our mission and help us progress with our research. Donate today and share this campaign with your friends and family because everyone should have the opportunity to support such an important project.

Donate Now at www.half-shekel.org

Thank you for your support. This project can not be completed without you.

Seasons greetings and much gratitude,

Dr. Gaby Barkay, Zachi Dvira, and the staff of the Temple Mount Sifting Project

Islamic History Recorded

Staff Spotlight: November

With the Nuba Inscription still fresh in our minds, this month’s Staff Spotlight lands on Peretz Reuven!

Originally from Haifa, Peretz is our expert in the Islamic period pottery and artifacts. He originally got interested in the Islamic period while at Hebrew University. He began with Arabic and Islamic history, added in a bit of archaeology, and the rest is history. He has studied under some of the most widely published scholars, including Myriam Rosen-Ayalon, Rachel Milstein, and Hava Lazarus-Yafe. Now he works on many excavations and research projects across Jerusalem and Israel.

Large Ophel Medallion

Peretz was working on a project with Dr. Eilat Mazar documenting all the walls of the Temple Mount, and researching and publishing the large ophel medallion when he met our director, Zachi Dvira. Zachi invited him to join our project, and now Peretz is researching all of the Early Islamic period pottery found by the Sifting Project. He is also planning to use his experience in researching architectural elements from the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods to research the architectural elements found in our sifting.

Islamic period pottery

Islamic period pottery

Islamic period pottery

The Early Islamic period assemblage from the Sifting Project is very rich in materials. We have a lot of ceramic vessels, many of which are glazed and elaborated. Though most of them are locally made, some were imported from Persia, Egypt, or parts of Europe. We can see that there was a lot of activity on the Temple Mount during that time period, but what is interesting is that many of the vessels are ordinary. For example, we have many cooking vessels and fragments of pipes. Peretz would not say that these vessels represent daily life, for example people coming and eating in an ordinary way, since the Temple Mount is a holy place. Rather, we are familiar with people coming to make celebrations on the Temple Mount as a part of Muslim fests and holidays. There were also people, such as guards, who stayed on the Temple Mount overnight, and our assemblage could represent their daily lives.

Cut mother-of-pearl inlays which may be from the Dome of the Rock

Peretz does not have a favorite artifact among those that he is researching for the Sifting project because there are too many to choose from that are really interesting. Some artifacts are connected to the building of the Dome of the Rock or to the artists who made the mosaics adorning the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque. For example, Peretz is excited by the large amount of mother of pearl inlay found by the project. Many of these inlays might come from the dismantling and discarding of the mosaics over the years.

Gilded glass mosaic tesserae from the Early Islamic Period removed from the Dome of the Rock exterior walls during later renovations.

The buildings of the Temple Mount have mosaics inside and out. Some were dismantled during renovations while others were replaced because they were disintegrating or suffering from the elements. For example, all the outer surface of the Dome of the Rock was covered with delicate mosaics unlike the ceramic mosaics that we have today. In the 1500s, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, all the outer paneling of mosaics were taken off the Dome of the Rock and thrown away. Most likely, some of what we are finding today is from that period. Between dumping and the stories of people cutting off the mosaics and selling or collecting them, it is really nice that some of these artifacts have survived.

In addition to working with the Sifting Project, Peretz has just finished publishing his research on the Islamic period ceramics found in the Givati Parking Lot in Jerusalem and is now working on publishing his research on the Islamic material from the Western Wall tunnels and the Kotel. With Assaf Avraham, he just published his research on the Nuba Inscription. Peretz said that he has always been interested in the connection between Islam and Judaism. He and Assaf decided to do some research on the topic, and during that research Assaf found out about the interesting inscription in Nuba. They decided to do some additional research on the inscription and the results were definitely interesting. Check out the video they published on their finds.